“In Old Havana, the street names that predate the revolution offer a glimpse into the city’s state of mind at that time. You might have known someone who lived on the corner of Soul and Bitterness, Solitude and Hope, or Light and Avocado. When things changed in Cuba, the names were changed as well, and new signs went up. Ask for directions from a local today, though, and you’re likely to hear the old names. Those names meant something personal and not easily forgotten to the people who lived on those streets. Avocado Street was named for the avocado that grew in the garden of a convent. Hope Street was named for a door in the city wall before it was torn down. Soul Street refers to the loneliness of the street’s position in the city. Sometimes these streets lead to dead ends; others lead to the doorsteps of cathedrals constructed with the explicit intention of turning music into stone.”
Photograph from Giancarlo Ceraudo’s “Soy Cuba”
Animal Kingdom Publishing 